Collapsed Dresden bridge demolished in just 47 hours

(PHOTO: City of Dresden)

The Carola Bridge, which was erected in 1971 and spanned the river Elbe, partially collapsed at 3:08 am on September 11, 2024, sending a section that measured over 100 m in length and that held the city’s tramway tracks, plunging into the river below. Fortunately, no one was harmed.

Specialist contractor Centro Environmental Technology and Logistics was deployed to the site, alongside emergency services and a regiment of troops from Germany’s Saxony State Command of the Bundeswehr.

The contractor began preparations for the controlled dismantling of the collapsed section of the Carola Bridge on September 12.

The bridge collapsed in the early hours of September 11, 2024. (PHOTO: City of Dresden)

To ensure its safe dismantling, live parts of the structure, such as the tram tracks and some of the district’s heating supply pipes - were first disconnected. Centro used a cutting-blasting process to separate the supply lines, while the tram rails were separated using a thermite cutting process. 

30 troops from the Saxony State Command of the Bundeswehr and two “Büffel” recovery vehicles were deployed to the site. (PHOTO: City of Dresden)

The Bundeswehr, with two “Büffel” recovery tanks and 30 soldiers, were also deployed to assist the clean-up, and as support for the contractor and other disaster-repsonse organisations, in the event that any of their machinery or vehicles got into difficulty on the riverbanks. 

Working through the night, the contractor then brought in heavy equipment to completely separate and remove the larger parts of the collapsed bridge, including a secondary sections that had bent as a result of the initial structural failure and had subsequently fallen into a hanging positions against the bridge’s piers. 

Centro’s excavator operators worked through the night to tear down the structure. (PHOTO: City of Dresden)

While samples of the structure were taken for analysis, the larger bridge sections were dismantled and crushed onsite before being transported away. Due to adverse weather conditions and flooding along the river Elbe, some smaller sections have been left with buoys attached to them, so that they can be located and removed when floodwaters subside.

The banks of the river Elbe have now been cleared. (PHOTO: City of Dresden)

Speaking after the completion of the demolition works, Dresden’s Lord Mayor, Dirk Hilbert, said: “What has been achieved here in a very short time is great. A large piece of the destroyed Carola Bridge has been removed in just under 47 hours in pouring rain.

“Everyone who was involved in this project has my greatest respect and the gratitude of the people of Dresden. In view of the flood situation, every part that is no longer in the Elbe is a small victory. I am extremely grateful to all emergency services for the successful cooperation.

“My thanks go to the fire brigade, the Technical Relief Agency of Saxony and Thuringia, the Saxony State Command of the Bundeswehr, the police, the drone squadron of the ASB, the city administration and ultimately every excavator operator and every truck driver of Centro Umwelttechnik und Logistik GmbH and its partner companies.

“This joint achievement gives us confidence that we will also master the next challenges.”